Extendable patch panel

ABSTRACT

An extendable telecommunications patch panel ( 10 ) is disclosed. In one aspect, the patch panel can include a plurality of interconnectable connection parts ( 100 ) for holding telecommunications connectors ( 12 ), such as adapters. Each connection part ( 100 ) may be provided with features that allow the connection parts ( 100 ) to be interlocked with each other to form the extendable patch panel ( 10 ). In one aspect, a first connection feature ( 122 ) can be located on a connection part first side ( 102 ) and a second connection feature ( 124 ) can be located on a connection part second side ( 104 ). The first connection feature ( 122 ) can be configured to interlock with the second connection feature ( 124 ) of an adjacent connection part ( 100 ). The connection part ( 100 ) may also be provided with an adapter ( 150 ) that allows the connection parts ( 100 ) to be connected in a staggered formation to result in a staggered patch panel ( 10 ).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a National Stage Application of PCT/EP2015/078735,filed on Dec. 4, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/088,347, filed on Dec. 5, 2014, the disclosuresof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Tothe extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the abovedisclosed applications.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Modular components that can be assembled to form an extendable patchpanel for use in telecommunications applications are disclosed.

BACKGROUND

Patch panels that support arrays of connectors or adapters for theinterconnection of telecommunications equipment are known. Typical patchpanels are constructed with a predefined shape and size so as toaccommodate a predetermined number of columns and rows of various typesof connectors. The dimensions of a patch panel may also be defined bythe structure into which the patch panel is mounted. As a result, aspecifically sized patch panel is often required for each particularapplication. Improvements are desired.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the disclosure, an extendable telecommunications patchpanel is disclosed. The patch panel can include a plurality ofinterconnectable connection parts for holding telecommunicationsconnectors, such as adapters. The connection parts can be defined ashaving a first side, a second side, a top end, and a bottom end. Theconnection part can also be defined as having a front end and a backend. The connection part can be further described as having a baseportion and a frame portion. The base portion can be located at thebottom end and can extend between the first and second sides. The frameportion can extend from the base portion to the top end and can alsoextend between the first and second sides.

The connection part may also be provided with features that allow theconnection parts to be interlocked with each other to form theextendable patch panel. In one aspect, a first connection feature can belocated on the connection part first side and a second connectionfeature can be located on the connection part second side. The firstconnection feature can be configured to interlock with the secondconnection feature of an adjacent connection part. The connection partmay also be provided with an adapter that engages with the first andsecond connection features to allow the connection parts to be connectedin a staggered formation to result in a staggered patch panel.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connection part that can be used toform an extendable patch panel having exemplary features of aspects inaccordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a view of a first side of the connection part shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second side of the connection partshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the connection part shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the connection part shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the connection part shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a first perspective view of an adapter that can be used toform an extendable patch panel having exemplary features of aspects inaccordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a second perspective view of the adapter shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a first extendable patch panelconstructed from multiples of the connection part shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second extendable patch panelconstructed from multiples of the connection part shown in FIG. 1 andthe adapter shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the first extendable patch panel shownin FIG. 9 with adapters installed into each connection part.

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the first extendable patch panel shown inFIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the second extendable patch panel shownin FIG. 10 with adapters installed into each connection part.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the second extendable patch panel shown inFIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a telecommunications tray including thefirst extendable patch panel shown in FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary aspects of thepresent disclosure that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughoutthe drawings to refer to the same or like structure.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, a connection part 100 of an extendable patchpanel 10 is shown. In one aspect, the connection part 100 defines afirst side 102, an opposite second side 104, a top end 106, and a bottomend 108. The connection part 100 can also be defined as having a frontend 103 and a back end 105. However, it is to be understood that termssuch as “top”, “bottom”, “front”, and “back” are simply used to providea relative point of reference for the various features of the connectionpart 100 and are not intended to require a particular orientation of theconnection part 100.

The connection part 100 can be formed from a base portion 110 and anadjoining frame portion 112 extending between the first and second sides102, 104. The connection part 100 can be configured such that the frameportion 112 is disposed generally orthogonal to the base portion 110,wherein the base portion 110 defines the bottom end 108 of theconnection part 100 and the frame portion 112 defines the top end 106 ofthe connection part 100. The frame portion 112 can be provided with anaperture 114 for holding a plurality of telecommunications components12, such as fiber optic adapters (see FIGS. 11-15).

In one aspect, one or more retaining protrusions 115 are providedextending from a side of the frame portion 112 and into the aperture114. The retaining protrusions 115 allow for a telecommunicationscomponent 12 to be held in an upper part of the aperture 114 which canfacilitate operator access to a lower component 12 by allowing for theselective increasing of space between any two components 12. Asconfigured, the protrusions 115 are provided with a rounded shape anddeflect outward with the frame portion 112 as a component 12 is beingmoved past the protrusion 115. Once a component 12 is moved above theprotrusion 115, the protrusion 115 retains the component 12 from belowsuch that the component will not simply slide back in a downwarddirection. As shown, two retaining protrusions 115 are provided in aframe configured to hold four components 12 below the lowermostprotrusion 115. As such, the spacing between the top two components 12can be increased by raising the upper two components 12 past the firstor second protrusion 115. The frame portion 112 can also be providedwith a third retaining protrusion 115 if it is desired to retain thesecond to bottom component 12 in a raised position wherein the spacingis increased between the second to bottom component 12 and the bottomcomponent 12. Likewise, the frame portion aperture 114 can be configuredto store any number of desired components 12.

The connection part 100 can be provided with various features thatenhance the overall strength of the connection part 100 and the jointbetween the base and frame portions 110, 112. For example, theconnection part 100 can be provided with a first sidewall 116 adjoiningthe first side 102 of the connection part 100 at the base and frameportions 110, 112. Similarly, the connection part 100 can be providedwith a second sidewall 118 adjoining the second side 104 of theconnection part 100 at the base and frame portions 110, 112. Theconnection part 100 may also be provided with support ribs 120 a to 120f extending between the base portion 110 and the frame portion 112. Thesidewalls 116, 118 and the ribs 120 a to 120 f significantly increasethe structural integrity of the connection part 100 which isadvantageous as adapters 12

In one aspect, the connection part 100 can be provided with one or moreconnection features to enable the connection parts 100 to be connectedtogether in a side-by-side formation to form the extendable patch panel10. As such, the number of interconnected connection parts 100 can beselected to obtain the desired size and length of the patch panel 10.

In one example, a first connection feature 122 can be provided on thefirst or second side 102, 104 of the connection part 100 and acooperating second connection feature 124 can be provided on the otherof the first and second sides 102, 104. As constructed, the firstconnection feature 122 of one connection part 100 a slidably engageswith the second connection feature 124 of an adjacent connection part100 b. Such a configuration is shown at FIG. 9 where two connectionparts 100 a,100 b are joined. Any number of connection parts 100 can bejoined together. The first and second connection features 122, 124 areconfigured such that they constrain the adjacent and interlockedconnection parts 100 a,b from moving in a lateral direction (i.e. in adirection towards or away from the first and second sides 102, 104 andparallel to an axis X) and from moving forward or backward (i.e. in adirection towards or away from the front and back ends 103, 105 andparallel to an axis Y), but are allowed to slide up and down (i.e. in adirection towards or away from the top and bottom ends 106, 108 andparallel to an axis Z).

As shown, the first connection feature 122 includes a connection portion122 a proximate the top end 106 of the connection part. Directly acrossfrom the connection portion 122 a, the second connection feature 124 isshown as including a connection portion 124 a. As shown, the connectionportions 122 a, 124 a lie along the same axis (e.g. an axis parallel toaxis X) such that, when joined, the connection parts 100 a,b are in aside-by-side arrangement with the front and back ends 103, 105 alignedalong a common axis (e.g. an axis parallel to axis X). The firstconnection feature 122 may also include a connection portion 122 b thatis similar in construction to connection portion 122 a and may alsoinclude a connection portion 124 b that is similar in construction toconnection portion 124 a. As shown, the connection portions 122 b, 124 bare proximate the base portion 110 at the bottom end 108. In one aspect,the connection portions on each side 102, 104 of the connection part 100are coaxially aligned such that connection portions 122 a, 122 b share acommon axis parallel to axis Z and connection portions 124 a, 124 bshare a common axis parallel to axis Z.

In one aspect, the connection portions 122 a, 122 b are each formed as amale tail structure and the connection portions 124 a, 126 a are eachformed as an open ended female socket structure such that the connectionportions 122 a, 124 a can slide onto the connection portions 122 a, 122b to form a dovetail joint. It should be understood that a wide varietyof interlocking shapes can be used for the connection portions 122 a,124 a, provided that the shapes allow for sliding engagement.

To aid in initial alignment of the connection portions 122 a, 122 b withconnection portions 124 a, 124 b, an alignment structure 122 c may beprovided on the first side 102 of the connection part 100 whileadditional alignment structures 124 c, 124 d may be provided on thesecond side 104 of the connection part. As configured, the alignmentstructure 122 c extends fully between the connection portions 122 a, 122b and is disposed between the alignment structures 124 c, 124 d whichextend partially between the connection portions 124 a, 124 b. In oneaspect, the alignment structures 122 c, 124 c, 124 d are formed aselongate members or ribs. Other shapes and arrangements of alignmentstructures are possible without departing from the concepts presentedherein, provided that they allow adjoining connection parts 100 to bebrought into initial alignment with each other such that the connectionportions 122 a, 122 b can be interlocked to connection portions 124 a,124 b by sliding one connection part 100 a with respect to anotherconnection part 100 b along an axis parallel to the axis Z. In oneaspect, the alignment structures 122 c, 124 c, 124 d are configured suchthat they can engage with each other by moving the connection parts 100a,b towards each other in a lateral direction parallel to the axis X.

With the above described configuration, one connection part 100 a can bealigned adjacent to another connection part 100 b with the connectionportions 122 a, 122 b of one connection part 100 a above or below theconnection portions 124 a, 124 b of the adjacent connection part 100 b.As stated previously, proper alignment of the connecting parts 100 a,bis ensured by the prior engagement of the alignment structures 122 c,124 c, 124 d. Once alignment is obtained, the upper connection part 100a can be displaced in a downward direction parallel to the axis Z untilthe connection portion 122 a slides into the connection portion 124 aand the connection portion 122 b slides into the connection portion 126b to lock the connection parts 100 a,b together at two distinctlocations proximate the back end 105. This assembly process can berepeated until the desired number of connection parts 100 have beenassembled together to form the extendable patch panel 10.

Each connection part 100 may be additionally provided with a thirdconnection feature 126 and a fourth connection feature 128 to providefor an additional point of securement between adjoining connection parts100 proximate the front end 103. As shown, the third connection feature126 includes a connection portion 126 a that is provided on the baseportion 110 proximate the front end 103. Similarly, the fourthconnection feature 128 includes a connection portion 128 a provided onthe base portion 110 directly across from the third connection feature126. As shown, the connection portions 126 a, 128 a lie along the sameaxis (e.g. an axis parallel to axis X) such that, when joined, theconnection parts 100 are in a side-by-side arrangement with the frontand back ends 103, 105 aligned along a common axis (e.g. an axisparallel to axis X).

In one aspect, the connection portion 126 a is formed as a male tailstructure and the connection portion 128 a is formed as an open endedfemale socket structure into which the connection portion 126 a canslide to form a dovetail joint, in the same manner as already describedfor connection portions 122 a/124 a and 122 b/124 b. It should beunderstood that a wide variety of interlocking shapes can be used forthe connection portions 126 a, 128 a, provided that the shapes allow forsliding engagement. In combination, the connection portions 122 a/124 a,122 b/124 b, and 126 a/128 a provide for three points of contact orsecurement between adjacent connection parts 100.

Each connection part 100 can also be provided with a first lock feature130 and a second lock feature 140 to prevent adjacent connection parts100 from sliding out of engagement with each other in either directionalong an axis parallel to axis Z once joined. In the example embodimentshown, the first lock feature 130 includes a first spring clip 132 and afirst stop surface 134 at the connection part first side 102. The springclip 132 is provided with a free end 132 a that is disposed above anotched area 136 of the base portion 110. Similarly, the second lockfeature 140 includes a second spring clip 142 and a second stop surface144 at the connection part second side 104, wherein the second springclip 142 is provided with a free end 142 a that is disposed above anotched area 146 of the base portion 110.

The first stop surface 134 is provided with a sufficient length suchthat the stop surface 134 of one connection part 100 extends into thenotch area 146 and below the free end 144 a of an adjacent connectionpart 100. Likewise, the second stop surface 144 is provided with asufficient length such that the stop surface 144 of one connection part100 extends into the notch area 136 and below the free end 132 a of anadjacent connection part 100. Thus, an interference condition existsbetween the spring clips 132, 142 and the respective stop surface 134,144.

As stated previously, two connection parts 100 a,b can be initiallyaligned with each other such that the second side 104 of a firstconnection part 100 a is adjacent to the first side 102 of a secondconnection part 100 b. In such an example, the first connection part 100a can be initially disposed above the second connection part 100 b andthen slid downwardly along an axis parallel to axis Z such that theconnection portions 122 a/124 a, 122 b/124 b, and 126 a/128 a becomeengaged. As the connection parts 100 become fully aligned (e.g. the topends 106 or bottom ends 108 are aligned), the second stop surface 144 ofthe first connection part 100 a will initially engage with the firstspring clip 132 of the second connection part 100 b from above and forcethe spring clip free end 132 a to deflect inwardly. As the firstconnection part 100 a is further displaced downwardly, the spring clipfree end 132 a of the second connection part 100 b will spring back orsnap over the second stop surface 144 of the first stop surface 134 toprevent the first connection part 100 a from subsequently being liftedback out of position in a direction towards the top end 106. At the sametime or near the same time, the free end 142 a of the second spring clip142 of the first connection part 100 a comes into downward contact withthe first stop surface 134 of the second connection part 100 b toprevent the first connection part 100 a from being further displaceddownwardly with respect to the second connection part 100 b. Thus, thespring clips 132,142 and stop surfaces 134,144, once engaged, entirelyprevent the connection part 100 a from moving upwardly and downwardlyalong an axis parallel to the Z axis, thereby ensuring that theconnection portions 122 a/124 a, 122 b/124 b, and 126 a/128 a cannotbecome disengaged. If it is desired to disengage the first connectionpart 100 a from the second connection part 100 b, the spring clip freeend 132 a can be manually deflected inwardly beyond the reach of thestop surface 144 whereby the first connection part 100 a can then belifted upwardly and out of engagement with the second connection part100 b. Alternatively, the second spring clip 142 can be deflectedinwardly beyond the reach of the stop surface 134 to allow the firstconnection part 100 a to be displaced downwardly and out of engagementwith the second connection part 100 b.

As shown in FIG. 9, the above described features result in an extendablepatch panel 10 wherein each of the connection parts 100 are alignedtogether such that the front and back ends 103,105 are fully alignedalong a common plane. However, where a staggered orientation ispreferred, the relative positions of the connection features 122, 124,126, 128 and the lock features 130, 140 on each side 102, 104 of theconnection parts 100 can be offset on each side 102, 104 of theconnection parts 100 to achieve such a result. It is also noted thateach connection part 100 can be integrally molded or otherwise formedsuch that all features of the connection part 100 are formed as a singlecomponent.

A staggered configuration for an extendable patch panel 10 can also beachieved using a plurality of the above described connection parts 100with the introduction of an intermediate adapter 150. The adapter 150 isshown at FIGS. 7-8 and a staggered configuration for a patch panel 10 isshown at FIGS. 9 and 12. To achieve this function, the adapter 150replicates the connecting, aligning, and lock features of the first side102 of the connection part 100 on a first side 152 of the adapter 150.Likewise, the adapter 150 replicates the connecting, aligning, and lockfeatures of the second side 104 of the connection part 100 on a secondside 154 of the adapter 150, but in an offset manner.

For example, the first side 152 of the adapter 150 can be provided withthe first connection feature 122 including the connection portion 122 a,the connection portion 122 b, and the alignment feature 122 c. The firstside 152 can also be provided with the third connection feature 126including the third connection portion 126 a and can be further providedwith the various components of the first lock feature 130.

The second side 154 of the adapter 150 can be provided with the secondconnection feature 124 including the connection portion 124 a, theconnection portion 124 b, and the alignment features 124 c,d. The secondside 154 can also be provided with the fourth connection feature 128including the fourth connection portion 128 a. The second side 154 canbe further provided with the various components of the second lockfeature 140, presented in FIG. 8 as lock feature 160. As shown, lockfeature 160 has a stop surface 162 that performs the same generalfunction as first stop surface 144 and engages with the spring clip 132of the connection part 100. Lock feature 160 can also be provided withanother stop surface 164 that replaces the spring clip 142 and engageswith the stop surface 134 of the connection part 100 to prevent furtherdownward movement of the adapter 150 with respect to the connection part100. As such, lock feature 160 of the adapter 150 interacts with lockfeature 130 of the connection part to secure the adapter 150 to theconnection part 100.

Referring to FIGS. 11-12, a fully assembled patch panel 10 havingconnection parts 100 a and 100 b joined together is shown. Although twojoined connection parts 100 are shown, any number of desired connectionparts 100 can be joined together. As shown, the connection parts 100 aand 100 b are aligned together such that the front and back ends 103,105are fully aligned along a common plane. Each of the connection parts 100a, 100 b are shown as holding a plurality of fiber optic adapters 12.Referring to FIG. 15, the fully assembled patch panel 10 is shown asbeing installed in a telecommunications enclosure 200 which may beconfigured to hold other telecommunications components 202. As will beappreciated by one having skill in the art, the telecommunicationsenclosure 200 shown in FIG. 15 may be provided with a cover (not shown)and cable seals (not shown) to form an enclosed housing. The base 20 canbe configured with a mounting surface 22 to provide a support surfacefor mounting telecommunications components 202, such astelecommunications cables, connectivity equipment, splices, splitters,wave division multiplexers, and terminations.

Referring to FIGS. 13-14, a staggered arrangement of a fully assembledpatch panel 10 is shown having connection parts 100 a and 100 badjoining an adapter 150. Although two joined connection parts 100 and asingle adapter 150 are shown, any number of desired connection parts 100and adapters 150 can be joined together. As shown, the connection parts100 a, 100 b are staggered such that the front and back ends 103,105 arenot aligned along a common plane. Each of the connection parts 100 a,100 b is shown as holding a plurality of fiber optic adapters 12.

Various modifications and alterations of this disclosure will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of this disclosure, and it should be understood that thescope of this disclosure is not to be unduly limited to the illustrativeembodiments set forth herein.

PARTS LIST  10 extendable patch panel  12 adapters 100 connection part102 first side 103 front end 104 second side 105 back end 106 top end108 bottom end 110 base portion 112 frame portion 114 aperture 115retaining protrusions 116 first sidewall 118 second sidewall 120a-fsupport ribs 122 first connection feature 122a connection portion 122bconnection portion 122c alignment structure 124 second connectionfeature 124a connection portion 124b connection portion 124c alignmentstructure 124d alignment structure 126 third connection feature 126athird connection portion 128 fourth connection feature 128a fourthconnection portion 130 first lock feature 132 first spring clip 132afirst spring clip free end 134 first stop surface 136 notched area inbase 140 second lock feature 142 second spring clip 142a second springclip free end 144 second stop surface 146 notched area in base 150adapter part 152 first side 154 second side 156 stop 160 third lockfeature 162 stop surface 164 stop surface 200 telecommunicationsenclosure

We claim:
 1. An extendable telecommunications patch panel comprising: a.a plurality of interconnectable connection parts, each of the connectionparts having a first side, a second side, a top end, and a bottom endand including: i. a base portion located at the bottom end and extendingbetween the first and second sides; ii. an open frame portion extendingfrom the base portion to the top end, the frame portion extendingbetween the first and second sides, the open frame portion defined as asidewall with an aperture for receiving a plurality oftelecommunications components; iii. a first connection feature locatedon the connection part first side; and iv. a second connection featurelocated on the connection part second side; v. the first connectionfeature being configured to interlock with the second connection featureof an adjacent connection part.
 2. The extendable telecommunicationspatch panel of claim 1, wherein: a. the first connection featureincludes a first connection portion and a second connection portion; andb. the second connection feature includes a third connection portion anda fourth connection portion; c. wherein the first connection portion isconfigured to slidably engage with the third connection portion of anadjacent connection part; d. the second connection portion beingconfigured to slidably engage with the fourth connection portion of theadjacent connection part.
 3. The extendable telecommunications patchpanel of claim 2, wherein: a. the first and second connection portionsare configured as male tail portions and the third and fourth connectionportions are configured as female socket portions to form adovetail-type connection.
 4. The extendable telecommunications patchpanel of claim 2, wherein: a. the first alignment structure isconfigured as a continuous rib extending between the first and secondconnection portions.
 5. The extendable telecommunications patch panel ofclaim 1, further comprising: a. a first alignment structure located onthe connection part first side; and b. a second alignment structurelocated on the connection part second side; c. the first alignmentstructure being configured to engages with the second alignmentstructure of an adjacent connection part to guide the first and secondconnection features into engagement.
 6. The extendabletelecommunications patch panel of claim 1, further comprising: a. athird connection feature located on the connection part first side; andb. a fourth connection feature located on the connection part secondside; c. the third connection feature being configured to interlock withthe fourth connection feature of an adjacent connection part.
 7. Theextendable telecommunications patch panel of claim 1, furthercomprising: a. a first lock feature located on the connection part firstside; and b. a second lock feature located on the connection part secondside; c. the first lock feature being configured to engage with thesecond lock feature of an adjacent connection part to lock adjacentconnection parts together.
 8. The extendable telecommunications patchpanel of claim 7, wherein: a. the first lock feature includes a firstspring clip and a first stop surface; and b. the second lock featureincludes a second spring clip and a second stop surface.
 9. Theextendable telecommunications patch panel of claim 8, wherein: a. thefirst spring clip is configured to engage with the second stop surfaceof an adjacent connection part; and b. the second spring clip isconfigured to engage with the first stop surface of the adjacentconnection part.
 10. The extendable telecommunications patch panel ofclaim 1, wherein: a. the first connection feature is located directlyacross from the second connection feature such that the first and secondconnection features are disposed along a common plane.
 11. Theextendable telecommunications patch panel of claim 1, furthercomprising: a. an adapter configured for attachment to the first side ofthe connection part and attachment to the second side of an adjacentconnection part.
 12. The extendable telecommunications patch panel ofclaim 11, wherein: a. the adapter part is provided with a first adapterconnection feature on a first side, the first adapter connection featurebeing configured to engage with the second connection feature of theconnection part; and b. the adapter part is provided with a secondadapter connection feature on a second side, the second adapterconnection feature being configured to engage with the first connectionfeature of an adjacent connection part.
 13. The extendabletelecommunications patch panel of claim 12, wherein: a. the firstadapter connection feature is offset from the second adapter connectionfeature to result in a staggered patch panel configuration.
 14. Theextendable telecommunications patch panel of claim 1, wherein: a. theframe portion of each of the connection parts is provide with anaperture for receiving one or more connectors.
 15. The extendabletelecommunications patch panel of claim 1, further comprising: a. aplurality of fiber optic adapters retained in each of the connectionparts.
 16. An extendable patch panel comprising: a. a plurality ofinterconnected connection parts, each of the connection parts having afirst side, a second side, a top end, and a bottom end and including: i.a base portion located at the bottom end and extending between the firstand second sides; ii. an open frame portion extending from the baseportion to the top end, the frame portion extending between the firstand second sides, the open frame portion defined as a sidewall with anaperture for receiving a plurality of telecommunications components;iii. a first connection feature located on the connection part firstside; iv. a second connection feature located on the connection partsecond side; and v. a plurality of telecommunications componentsreceived within the aperture and supported by the frame portion; vi. thefirst connection feature being interlocked with the second connectionfeature of an adjacent connection part.
 17. The extendable patch panelof claim 16, wherein the plurality of telecommunications components arefiber optic adapters.
 18. The extendable patch panel of claim 16,wherein the plurality of telecommunications components are arranged in avertical array.
 19. The extendable patch panel of claim 16, furtherincluding one or more retaining protrusions extending into the aperture,the one or more retaining protrusions retaining one of thetelecommunications components at an upper portion of the aperture.